Down Under

You think you know a little about the typical Aussie, right? Kangaroo-riding, croc-wrestling, beach-dwelling people with a genetic predisposition to having no worries, mate. Okay, so Australia has an abundance of furry — and sometimes fearsome — wildlife, year-round sunshine, and laid-back people. But it is also a country that routinely locks up asylum seekers, sells its military services to the U.S. and everything else to the Chinese, and worst of all worships that ridiculously long and complex game, cricket.

As a result of the Bali Nine death sentences, Australia — which does not support capital punishment — has put in place measures to prevent the police from putting Australian lives at risk when co-operating with overseas authorities.

New York's decision to legalize same-sex marriage Twittered, Facebooked and otherwise made its way to gay- and lesbian-friendly Australia, renewing calls for similar equal treatment of two-person unions Down Under.